What Aditya Mukarji, a class 9 student, who got himself enrolled in an NGO named Chintan, has managed to do is no mean achievement.

Within no time, Aditya had only prepared a research paper but also drafted letters that were to be distributed to restaurants. (Representational Image, Source: PTI)

At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a ‘Swachh Bharat’ has triggered a much-needed conversation in India around keeping our neighbourhood and surroundings clean, a 13-year old boy from Gurugram has set an example that drive greater citizen partnership and inspire many.

What Aditya Mukarji, a class 9 student, who got himself enrolled in an NGO named Chintan, has managed to do is no mean achievement. In a matter of one month alone, this teenager has managed to convince restaurants to successfully phase out 5 lakh straws from restaurants across NCR.

It all began when Aditya joined the NGO where he was tasked with the plastic straws project. Within no time, Aditya had only prepared a research paper but also drafted letters that were to be distributed to restaurants to convince them to discontinue the use of plastic straws. Aditya says that besides writing letters, he also showed these establishments presentations to educate them on the harmful effects of plastic on the environment.

Apart from campaigning against the use of plastic straws, Aditya also suggested eco-friendly alternatives to each establishment. His hard work yielded results soon and establishments started acknowledging his efforts with a promise to adopt eco-friendly practices.

Speaking to FinancialExpress.com, Anu Mukarji, young Aditya’s proud mother, shared how her son made his first move and is an inspiration not only for children but for the whole society. She said that apart from academics, Aditya has a natural inclination towards environmental concerns. “Aditya has been following major environmental issues since the last couple of years. Eventually, he started doing research in this field in January this year and finally became a volunteer with the NGO in March.”

She further said that Aditya has plans to increase his activities in future and he will appeal to people to join hands to create awareness around environmental friendly practices to create a sustainable environment.

He now targets to achieve the target of getting 10 lakh straws removed from restaurants and food outlets by the year-end.